Classic Empire clinches Kentucky Derby spot with Oaklawn win

17/04/2017

Leparoux said he never lost faith in the colt, who he has ridden in all of his seven career starts except for the Hopeful at Saratoga Race Course, when Classic Empire veered sharply out of the gate and dumped jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

Classic Empire snuck out a comeback win at the finish line. It is hard to believe, but with the Florida Derby, Blue Grass Stakes and Wood Memorial already in the rear view mirror, the Arkansas Derby will cap off the Grade 1 stakes schedule before the best horses in America head to Louisville, Kentucky for the annual Kentucky Derby.

He ended up being the 9-5 favorite Saturday, in front of an estimated crowd of 62,500 at Oaklawn Park, and ran a ideal race, settling close to the leaders in a pack of seven, never more than 3 lengths behind.

In no ways was Saturday's Grade 1 Arkansas Derby easy, but in the end, the champ came through with flying colors, scoring a popular and hard-earned half-length victory in front of a large crowd at Oaklawn Park.

Saturday's card is closing day of the 2017 racing season at Oaklawn.

Classic Empire has always been his own worst enemy.

Eclipse Awards voters named the son of Pioneerof the Nile as the champion 2-year-old male, mostly because of two Grade I stakes victories, including one in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile. "I just needed to get there".

Casse welcomes the added distance for Classic Empire, the champion 2-year-old male of 2016 who shares the same sire as Triple Crown victor American Pharoah.

His refusal to go through with a planned workout a few weeks later raised more flags. Maybe. But if you don't accept the implausible scenario that all of them took a big step forward, then you can project Classic Empire managing a winning Beyer somewhere in the mediocre neighborhood of the low 90s.

Senate Confirms Neil Gorsuch as Next Supreme Court Justice
Many Democrats were still tight over Garland being passed over, as they should be, and noted that Gorsuch was super conservative. And in many ways the showdown had been pre-ordained, the final chapter in years of partisan warfare over judicial nominees.

Rebel Stakes victor Malagacy tracked just ahead of the champion as that top pack bunched up, and when that one put in his bid for the lead around the final turn, Leparoux tipped Classic Empire to the far outside and called upon the form that rattled off wins in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and Bashford Manor Stakes previous year in addition to their Breeders' Cup triumph. He ranks second in the Road to the Derby standings with 132 and is a lock to make the expected Derby field of 20 on May 6.

"He just has so much ability", said Casse. "What I feel good about is we were up front, we were telling everyone the truth of what was going on and so many people were like 'There is no way he will be ready.' But the key to it all is he's a really, really, really good horse".

Now that he has the colt back on track, the real work begins for Casse in getting Classic Empire set for the first leg of the Triple Crown.

"He ran 100 percent today", Leparoux said.

Winning rider Julien Leparoux added: "He wasn't 100 per cent today, so I was expecting him to be a little exhausted".

Conquest Mo Money held for second with Lookin At Lee coming on late to finish third by half a length from Sonneteer. The #4, Petrov, had been showing speed but his early speed figures were a bit muted last month in the Rebel Stakes.

Whitmore continued to solidify his status as the top sprinter in North America by winning the Count Fleet by 3 3/4 lengths on the Arkansas Derby undercard.

I get the feeling that we haven't seen the best that Silver Dust has to offer, but this could be the day that he puts it all together with a big run. "That thought went through my head about the eighth pole. He had every right to get exhausted in the last part of it, but he kept running". Conquest Mo Money broke from the 12 post in that race, ran widest of all around the first turn, sat wide mid-pack along the backstretch and made a move to get the lead while still wide on the turn for home. He finished second in the Grade III Sunland Derby on March 26.

Related News:

Video recorded by fellow passengers showed Dao on his back as security officers dragged him from the cabin of the parked plane. Munoz apologized on Tuesday, calling the episode "truly horrific", and pledged a full review by April 30.

He said that they landed in Pyongyang at 4.30pm on the same day, but were only allowed to take off at around 7.45pm. Kim was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 on Feb 13 while waiting for a flight to Macau.

Any updates or changes to the schedule or the event itself will be posted on the Auburn Parks and Recreation's Facebook page. In 1993, it was moved once more to its current location, and it has found its home in Kiesel Park for the last 25 years.

If Bartra does return in four weeks, he might be able to play in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals. UEFA official Giorgio Marchetti told CNN Sport Wednesday he had encountered "nothing of this nature" before.

Then again, if, as we suspect, Bixby won't be such a big deal, it shouldn't matter that the S8's flagship feature is missing. Therefore, shipping the Galaxy S8 with a crippled Bixby makes the entire thing more confounding.

Cote goes out as one of the most accomplished Canadian fighters in MMA history. "If he wants a rematch, he can have his rematch". The lines might be a bit reputation-based, but Mousasi has won four consecutive fights whereas Weidman has lost his last two.

The Blues were struggling to get into the game and could not make an impact before the break, meaning they headed in 1-0 behind. Jose Mourinho has explained the tactics that helped Manchester United comfortably beat Chelsea on Sunday.

It's the playoffs, you're not going to go 16-0, you move to the next game, you make your adjustments, you try to win the next one. For the Jazz, if they're are going to win this series, they're going to need some big-time production from their franchise star.

Mike Pence , who is set to meet the acting president of South Korea later, will visit four nations on his 10-day Asia tour. North and South Korea are technically still at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended without an official peace treaty.

According to their website , the public can submit potential names for the male calf and/or vote for their favorite names . A 4-hour video of the birth posted to YouTube has garnered 13.6 million views in fewer than 24 hours.

With that play fresh in his mind, the last thing Rivers probably wanted to do was answer post-game questions. The Jazz now have the 1-game advantage over the Clippers heading into Game 2 on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

MVP favourites Harden, Westbrook get first-round showdown
In the third quarter, he knocked down a pair of three-pointers to blow the lead out to 17 points, before returning to the bench. Meanwhile, Harden also delivered a resounding statement in Game 1 of the series showdown with his MVP adversary.

Gorsuch confirmed; Senate approves Trump nominee, 54-45
Vice President Mike Pence presided over the final vote Friday, even though his vote as a tie-breaker was not necessary. Most experts expect Gorsuch to be more aligned with the court's two conservatives, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.

Cruz: Close House race in Kansas 'a warning sign'
Pompeo repeatedly won with big margins, and President Donald Trump carried the district easily a year ago . Thompson's strong showing will likely also energize progressives further and boost Democratic recruitment.

EPL title race heats up as Chelsea loses at United
Roberto Firmino scored a victor for the second weekend running as Liverpool beat West Brom to go third in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Manchester United midfielder in question, Herrera, has insisted team-mate Rashford's goal deserved to stand.

Selena Gomez shares first-ever selfie with The Weeknd
After all , Selena has been pretty much doing that as she's traveled across various continents with The Weeknd while he's on tour. Recently, the couple was spotted expressing affection for each other at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2017.

Cleveland police seek suspect in Facebook homicide video
He encouraged people to report any information about any other victims or the suspect's whereabouts to the authorities. Stephens is a case manager at Beech Brook, a children's mental health facility in north eastern Cleveland .

Prabhu launches new rail coach with glass roof, GPS
The train will run from Visakhapatnam Railway Station to Araku through video conference from Bhubaneswar through video conference. Distinct features like the glass roof inside these new coaches will now allows the commuters to enjoy the outside view.

Ray effectively wild in D-backs win over Giants
Gorkys Hernandez crashed into the center field wall chasing the ball, allowing all three runners to score easily. Fernando Rodney struck out pinch-hitter Brandon Crawford with the tying run at second to end the game.

Thousands expected to be evacuated in Syria after blast
The agreement proposes the transport of thousands of people out from both opposition and government-held towns under siege. The evacuation deal had been brokered by Qatar, a supporter of Syrian opposition forces, and Iran, a key government ally.

Kompany ends 20-month City goal drought in Southampton win
He told Sky Sports: "We're delighted with the clean sheet and the performance". "That in Italy and Spain does not happen". That is why I am so glad for the fans we have because it is the first time in my life I have experienced that'.